Cheers

PresidentBarack Obama has recognized the U.S. military's sexual assault crisis and said it is "dangerous to our national security," USA Today reported May 16. Obama also expressed support for legislation that would limit commanders' ability to overturn military convictions in sexual assault cases.

More News to Cheer This Week:

A federal judge barred Arkansas from implementing one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws May 17, calling it "more than likely unconstitutional," NBC News reported. The law, which the legislature enacted over Gov.Mike Beebe's veto in March, makes abortions illegal after only 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Brazil's council overseeing the judiciary ruled on May 14 that notary publics cannot refuse to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies, a decision that opens the way for same-sex couples in Latin America's largest country to marry, The New York Times reported.

Both teen pregnancy and teen abortion rates have dropped dramatically in Utah since 2006, according to new statistics, The Daily Herald reported May 13.

Jeers

An outspoken nationalist mayor has said the Japanese military's "comfort women" regime of forced prostitution of Asian women before and during World War II was necessary to maintain discipline in the ranks and provide rest for soldiers who risked their lives in battle, The Guardian reported May 14.

More News to Jeer This Week:

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin closed its health center in Chippewa Falls after 28 years of caring for thousands of patients as a direct result of budget cuts directed at Planned Parenthood's patients, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said in a statement May 16.

A summary of the status of laws on the minimum age of marriage in Africa was released by The African Child Policy ForumMay 17, citing 15 as the youngest age for females to be married under the law in some countries.

More than one of every 10 women at the Denver Women's Correctional Facility claim staff members sexually assaulted them, according to a national study, The Denver Post reported May 16.

Women led eight of Washington's 50 most politically active trade lobby groups and earned about $600,000 less than their male counterparts, according to salary data compiled by Bloomberg and reported on May 16.

A member of Iran's constitutional watchdog group insisted that women cannot be presidential candidates, the Associated Press reported May 16. The announcement could end the largely symbolic bids by about 30 women seeking to run in the June 14 election.

The Louisiana Senate narrowly rejected a bill May 15 that would have prohibited employers with at least 15 full-time workers in the state from paying unequal wages for the same job based on the employee's gender, the Associated Press reported May 16.

Fewer than 1-in-5 presenters at major broadcasters over the age of 50 are women, a study reveals, The Guardian reported May 16.

Humanitarian assistance groups in Washington, D.C., are warning that the health care system has become a deliberate target in the increasingly brutal civil war in Syria, presenting major challenges to addressing the humanitarian and refugee crises spurred by the conflict, Inter Press Service reported May 14.

An Army sergeant first class assigned to a sexual assault prevention program at Fort Hood, Texas, is under investigation for sexual assault, pandering, abusive sexual contact and maltreatment of subordinates, CNN reported May 15.

The special prosecutor who investigated Brooklyn AssemblymanVito Lopez cleared him of any criminal wrongdoing but blasted the Assembly's handling of the sex harassment scandal, The New York Times reported May 15.

A southeast Idaho woman has filed a $350,000 federal lawsuit against Union Pacific contending she was discriminated against with unfair wage practices, the Associated Press reported May 15.

The leader of an Islamic extremist group in Nigeria says his group has started kidnapping women and children as part of its bloody guerrilla campaign against the country's government, the Associated Press reported May 13.

Female representation in popular movies is at its lowest level in five years, according to a study being released by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, The Los Angeles Times reported May 13.

The number of acid attacks is on the rise in Italy, The Daily Beast reported May 13. Also, more than 6,743,000 women in Italy -- roughly 1-in-3 women in the country -- report being a victim of domestic violence.

Noted:

A day after Angelina Jolie, 37, announced she had a preventative double mastectomy due to her discovery that she was at high risk of developing breast cancer, she also announced she will have her ovaries removed. The actress shared her story in a New York Times op-edMay 14.

Inspired by workers coming together and speaking out across the country, hundreds of low-wage workers walked off their jobs at dozens of stores across Milwaukee on May 15, Milwaukee Workers Organizing Committee said in a statement May 15.

Dr.Kermit Gosnell, convicted of killing three who were born alive in his clinic, agreed to give up his right to an appeal and faces life in prison but will be spared a death sentence, CBS News reported May 14.

Cuyahoga County prosecutorTim McGinty vowed to charge Ariel Castro with aggravated murder for each of the alleged forced miscarriages, RH Reality Check reported May 13.

Barbara Walters announced her retirement May 13 -- appropriately during May sweeps -- on ABC's "The View," the all-female talkfest she co-founded in 1997, the Washington Post reported May 13.